VAS cuts 2 positions to balance budget

April 15, 2002|By Michael Jones

Without lengthy discussion or comment, the board voted in support of creating a balanced budget for the 2002-03 school year. A few minutes later, the board voted to eliminate one elementary teaching position and the third-shift custodial position in an effort to create a balanced budget.

Bonter told the board she estimates approximately $60,000 will need to be cut from current expenditures in order to maintain a balanced budget for 2002-03. For the current school year the district had approved a budget of $2,037,068. "I don't anticipate finding additional sources of revenues to avoid making these cuts."

The two positions could be reinstated if the district's financial position were to improve. "I think we would need to see an increase in enrollments before we could look at not making any cuts for the coming year," said Bonter.

Bonter said she believed an increase in enrollments of approximately 24 students would be necessary to stem the proposed budget cuts. For the past two years VAS has received funding from the state as a school with declining enrollment and the likelihood of gaining 24 new students would seem to be doubtful.

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"I do agree that we need these two positions," said board trustee Ron Kenyon of the budget cuts. "But if we do find ourselves in a financial position to bring them back, I would like to see a paper trail showing we do have the finances to do so."

At this time the board did not discuss what plans would be taken in order to fill the void created by the elimination of the two staff positions. The board, however, did take a proactive stance to begin the process of investigating holding a millage election by the end of the year to generate revenue for needed building repairs and renovations and the purchase of a new school bus.

"We need two buses. I know we can't afford that, but we do need one," said Bonter. "According to our bookkeeper, Patty Kenyon, the repair bills are inordinately high right now."

In addition to the need for a new school bus, the board discussed a number of possible projects for the potential bond issue. Moving or building a new bus garage was one of those possible projects, as were paving the school parking lots, fixing an ongoing drain problem, and correcting a ventilation problem which has caused ice buildup problems on the roof, requiring repairs, in the past.

"We would first need to hold public meetings to see what the issues are and what the public would support," said Bonter of the possible bond proposal. She said the district would likely ask the public to create a committee to decide what projects might be on the proposal.

Other board business Wednesday included accepting the resignation of middle school special education teacher Anna Frascone, effective at the end of the school year; hiring VAS teacher Melissa Tarbutton as sophomore class sponsor; and approving a sixth-grade overnight camping trip to Pickerel Lake for May 23-24.

The board also recognized the continued employment of the following teachers for successfully achieving their level of probationary status for the 2002-03 school year: Stacy Bebb, Alecia Lewis and Tarbutton, second-year probation; Lorraine Thompson, third-year probation; and Chad Culver, fourth-year probation.

The board also approved the following short-term district goals: a summer beautification and landscaping project, to be paid for with district beverage income; increase participation in VAS Boosters and PTO; and create public relations campaign and promotion of school programs with the intent of increasing student enrollment.